Written questions by Mayer.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help support (a) trade unions and (b) workers' rights through foreign policy.

The Government is committed to working closely with international trade unions through its foreign policy. The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State with responsibility for human rights will soon meet the heads of global union federations to discuss international labour issues. We work actively through the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to promote decent work and workers' rights, including raising workers' rights issues with the ILO supervisory system. The Government acts globally to prevent forced labour in supply chains, including, for example, by supporting reform of labour migration policies in South East Asia to ensure fair treatment of migrant workers. In addition, As Minister for Development, I met with trade union representatives in Addis Ababa who were part of the ‘Taqaddum’ platform for civil society, as part of her work on the Sudan conflict and its humanitarian consequences.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 January 2025 to Question 25028 on Buses: Sales, for what reason an end-of-sale date is not set for coaches.

No decision has been taken on whether to set an end of sale date for new non-zero emission coaches. We will consider all options to support the decarbonisation of the coach fleet.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of reviewing the polices on issuing Penalty Charge Notices for patient transport service vehicles.

No assessment has been made by this Department of the potential merits of reviewing the policies on issuing Penalty Charge notices for patient transport service vehicles.NHS Trusts are expected to comply with the NHS Car Parking Guidance, from 2022, which covers both NHS Trusts and NHS Foundation Trusts. This applies to all NHS Trusts, including those that use private parking companies to operate their hospital car parks.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of existing regulations for community transport provision.

Community transport operators play a vital role in connecting people with their communities, enabling access to employment, education and other essential services. Recognising the value of these services of social benefit, often provided by charities, the system of section 19 and section 22 permits provided in the Transport Act 1985 allows not-for-profit community transport operators to operate public service vehicles (PSVs) without the associated costs of a PSV operator’s licence.The section 19 and section 22 permit system continues to support community transport services across the country and the Government provides guidance on the rules for permits and how to apply for them at Section 19 and 22 permits and obligations: not for profit passenger transport - GOV.UK.

How many driver shortages have been reported by each rail company in the most recent period for which data is available.

Driver shortages and unavailability cause delays and cancellations, and so it is a very high priority for this government to ensure operators have sufficient number of drivers trained and available across the network. Train operators use a variety of measures to track availability of drivers. For example, total headcount against target, unavailability due to training, illness or leave and levels of overtime, which may be used to balance fluctuations in availability. While these measures are not systematically reported to the Department, ministers have commissioned work to look in detail at the impact of driver unavailability on train performance and suggest options to improve.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of existing regulations for demand responsive transport.

The Department has supported sixteen demand responsive transport (DRT) trials through the Rural Mobility Fund (RMF). Each scheme is taking part in a detailed monitoring and evaluation process which will provide a better understanding of challenges associated with introducing and operating DRT, including those arising from regulation. An interim monitoring data collection and process evaluation report was published in September 2023 and a second concluding process evaluation report will be published later this year.There is recognition that the regulatory framework covering DRT is complex, not least because it includes elements of taxi, private hire vehicle and bus legislation, including vehicles using community transport permits. We keep all policies under review and my officials have regular engagement with a range of stakeholders across the DRT sector, ensuring that key regulatory issues are considered.

How the proposed statutory powers of Metro Mayors for rail services will operate under Great British Railways.

The statutory role for mayors in governing, managing, planning and developing the rail network intends to bring decision making within Great British Railways as close as possible to local communities. This will empower local leaders and support the development of seamless, integrated transport networks and a public transport system that properly serves local areas. Further detail will be outlined in an upcoming consultation on the Railways Bill, which will be published soon.

Whether the new government-backed train ticket website will include a search facility to help people affected by train delays find actual past (a) departure and (b) arrival times to support their claims under the Delay Repay scheme.

Once Great British Railways is established, it will retail online by consolidating individual train operators’ ticket websites. It will work alongside a thriving private sector retail market, which will continue to play a key role in driving innovation and investment and encouraging more people to choose rail. Exact plans will now be developed in close partnership with industry, the private sector and wider stakeholders, with further detail to be consulted on shortly as part of the Railways Bill consultation.

Pursuant to the Answer of 16 December 2024 to Question 18740 on Driving Tests, whether the DVSA has developed a training schedule for organisations requiring delegated examiners in 2025.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is continuing to explore this matter in a way which balances all of the demands on DVSA’s training resource. Further information will be provided as soon as possible.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of increasing the allocation of the transport budget in England for walking and cycling initiatives.

The Government recognises that investment in active travel supports its economic growth, health and net zero missions by helping to revitalise high streets, reduce emissions, and enable people to live longer, healthier lives. We have already announced an additional £100 million investment in walking and cycling infrastructure for 2025/26, to enable local authorities to install cycling infrastructure and upgrade pavements and paths. Decisions on funding for active travel for 2026/27 and beyond will be a matter for the Spending Review.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment his Department has made of (a) the adequacy of the availability of land and property for new 5G infrastructure and (b) its impact on the UK telecoms market.

The department has not carried out an assessment of the adequacy of the availability of land or property for 5G infrastructure, and this is not an issue previously raised by industry. The Electronic Communications Code provides the regulatory framework by which telecommunications operators gain access to land and property to deploy infrastructure. This aims to balance the rights of site providers and operators to facilitate infrastructure deployment on public and private land, as well as encouraging the sharing of infrastructure.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of updating her Department's guidance for local transport authorities to require them to have an alternative dispute resolution when franchising services.

The Department for Transport published guidance to local authorities on tendering for road passenger transport contracts in 2013. This included advice on dispute resolution. There are no plans to revise that guidance because there are no specific rules or requirements for tendering or awarding bus contracts in buses legislation. It is for individual franchising authorities to determine the appropriate dispute resolution process when tendering or awarding local service contracts.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure local authorities have adequate resources to process the anticipated increase in claims following the 2031 cut-off date for recording historic rights of way.

The Government has announced that it will repeal the 2031 cut-off date for the recording of historic rights of way as soon as parliamentary time allows. The final Local Government Finance Settlement for 2025-26 makes available over £69 billion for local government, which is a 6.8% cash terms increase on 2024-2025. The majority of this funding is not ringfenced in recognition that local authorities themselves are best placed to understand local priorities and allocate funding accordingly.

What steps she is taking to ensure people who could not pay their Self Assessment Tax because of the Barclays outage do not have to pay a fixed penalty.

No Barclays customers who filed their tax return and paid their Self Assessment tax liability by 3rd February will face a penalty.

Whether his Department plans to include information on the benefits of updating circulator pumps in official energy efficiency guidance for consumers and businesses.

The Government will consider how circulator pumps alongside other technologies will support greater energy efficiency and the transition to Net Zero. The Government provides advice on energy efficiency improvements at the following Find ways to save energy in your home - GOV.UK.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the widespread adoption of updated circulator pumps in the UK on energy savings.

The Government is continuing to monitor the UK circulator pump market and will consider how these, alongside other technologies could support greater energy efficiency and the transition to Net Zero.

Whether the final evaluation report for the Rural Mobility Fund will include a conclusion on the optimum zone size for Demand-Responsive Transport services.

The Rural Mobility Fund (RMF) impact and value for money evaluation will seek to explore what works best, when and why in the RMF scheme areas (rural and suburban). However, it may be the case that there is no single optimal zone size, as the optimal size may vary depending on the number of vehicles in operation, hours of operation, traffic congestion, rurality, population density, other transport infrastructure and connections and demographics. Additionally, DRT Best Practice Guidance is being developed which will support local authorities in determining whether DRT might be a suitable option in certain areas.

When she expects the final evaluation report for the Rural Mobility Fund to be published.

The Rural Mobility Fund evaluation consists of two elements – a first stage including monitoring data collection and a process evaluation and a second stage including impact and value for money evaluation. An interim monitoring data collection and process evaluation report was published in September 2023 and a second concluding process evaluation report will be published later this year. The impact and value for money evaluation will be published in 2026.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of establishing a separate regulatory framework for Demand-Responsive Transport services, distinct from taxi and bus regulations.

There is recognition that the regulatory framework covering demand responsive transport (DRT) is complex, not least because it includes elements of taxi, private hire vehicle and bus legislation, including vehicles using community transport permits. We keep all policies under review and my officials have regular engagement with a range of stakeholders across the DRT sector, ensuring that key regulatory issues are considered.

What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of SEND provision in schools in (a) Bedfordshire and (b) the East of England.

Bedford Borough was inspected by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in November 2024 and received the strongest possible outcome: “the local area partnership’s special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) arrangements typically lead to positive experiences and outcomes for children and young people with SEND”.In 2022, Ofsted and CQC revisited the area of Central Bedfordshire to decide whether sufficient progress had been made in addressing the areas of significant weakness detailed in its 2019 inspection. They found sufficient progress in three of six significant weaknesses.The department and NHS England continue to support and challenge the local area by assessing progress and providing advice through a SEND expert advisor.Since the introduction of the current Ofsted and CQC Area SEND inspection framework in January 2023, five local areas in the East of England have undergone inspections. Suffolk and Hertfordshire were found to have systemic failings, while Southend-on-Sea exhibited typically inconsistent outcomes. In contrast, Bedford Borough, as stated above, demonstrated generally positive outcomes. Cambridgeshire was inspected in January 2025, but the report has not yet been published.The department issued improvement notices to Hertfordshire and Suffolk and is working with NHS England to continue to assess progress against priority and strategic action plans.